London Bridge is Falling Down
by ThePainterandtheKey
Summary: Little Yuya goes to meet the new neighbors, but little does she know...
1. London Bridge is Falling Down

**Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Deeper Kyo, and it's a good thing I don't cause I would have probably turned the whole thing into a shoujo by now! :P**

**Note: **

**-Akari is an actual, REAL woman, as she's Yuya's mommy! (but transgender people are still awesome)**

**-Yuya's father is alive, but he's always on business trips.**

**-Muramasa doesn't have as much hair and looks more fatherishly/modern day (though I'm sure you could have guessed).**

**-More characters will be introduced and they also wont be **_**exactly**_** as they are in the manga (yes this is after the manga NOT the anime, not that it makes a total difference in this story).**

**-This story will follow Yuya and Kyo all the way up to high school (where most of the action will take place).**

**-This is probably going to turn into an "M" instead of a "T"...just a warning, maybe.**

**...**_**maybe...**_

**Without further ado, the story!**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya didn't have too many happy memories from her childhood. Why, one might ask? The reason was none other than the crow-haired, blood-eyed demon that had, just _had_ to live next to her. Sometimes Yuya envisioned a world where he didn't exist, a world where he'd have to paddle across the whole Atlantic Ocean just to get within a 5,000 mile radius. She pictured herself skipping across the border of her yard to play dolls with a sweet girl in braids, or a caring old lady baking her oatmeal cookies and letting her pet her cat. However, this was not the case; she had to live next to the very headspring of her hardship for years to come. Her little Pandora's box used to be shut tight and locked securely, until the li'l monster went and cracked the thing open like it was a piffling fortune cookie. He was the bee in her bonnet, the rainstorm on her parade, and the pee in her cornflakes.

He was the _Godzilla_ of her Tokyo.

It was a day Yuya will never forget. She had been told they were going to meet the new neighbors so she had to wear her best dress. Yuya put on her precious pink-frilled frock gingerly so no threads would go loose, and so she wouldn't pucker a single layer of fabric. With a heart fluttering from nerves and excitement, Yuya clutched the hand of her mother on her left and the hand of her older brother, Nozomu, on her right. They set off to meet the new neighbors.

"Ding-dong."

The door swung open. Yuya was met by a kindly looking middle-aged man.

"Hello, I'm Muramasa..."

"Hi! I'm Akari. We're your next door neighbors." Akari handed him a bowl of green jello; Muramasa thanked her graciously. "This is my son, Nozomu, and my daughter, Yuya." said Yuya's mom, gesturing towards her children. Nozomu shook his hand and Yuya smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you...Ah, Kyooo! Kyo, please come down here and meet the new neighbors!" Yuya was wondering who Kyo was when suddenly, a boy materialized at Muramasa's side out of nowhere. Yuya eyed him excitedly--someone her age!

"Kyo, this is Akari, Nozomu, and Yuya." said his father. Kyo glared suspiciously at Akari and Nozomu. When he got to Yuya, he seemed surprised at first, but then he slowly started grinning. His crimson eyes flashed with something that made Yuya a bit uneasy; as if her innate instincts were saying something like, "Predator alert! Run gazelle, run!" Later, Yuya would fully grasp what that "leer" meant. Whenever that Cheshire cat look appeared, it foretold of trauma, humiliation, and of the utmost vexation of the spirit.

"Kyo, Yuya, why don't you two head outback and play for a bit!" said Muramasai, as if he'd just come up with a grand idea. Akari thought so as well. "Yes, Yuya!" said her mother, waving her away (she wouldn't need a baby sitter now). Yuya stared at her mother beseechingly, but to no avail. Yuya knew she couldn't be rude, but she couldn't shake off this bad feeling. Kyo just smirked and began sauntering off, making her follow him hastily.

She just followed the rabbit down the hell-hole.

First, Kyo insisted they play "dog". "You can be the dog. You look like one ugly...Dog-face! Dog-face!" he said, snickering and pointing at her.

Sure, Yuya's ego was damaged, but she wasn't going to start crying like most girls her age would, she was a bit stronger than that.

"I don't wanna play dog! Lets play something else, you, you c-CAT EYES! Cat eyes! Cat eyes with blood in them!" Yuya stuck her tongue out at him, "Bleh!"

Something in Kyo sparked. Perhaps it was ignited by the fire in Yuya's look. He must have realized this girl wouldn't go down easy, and that wasn't going to do. Kyo liked challenges. He was going to win today no matter what. He was going to be in control. Kyo smirked. This was going to be _fun_.

Kyo took off her sandal and threw it in the small pond behind their houses yelling, "Fetch!"

Yuya's first reaction was to stand rock still with a look implying "I can't believe you just did that." Then she realized he _had_ in fact done just that. Enraged, she shoved him and Kyo choked on his own laughter. When Yuya tediously fished her sandal out of the pond with a stick, the game was still on.

Kyo thrust leaves in her hair. Yuya threw grass in his face.

Kyo pulled up her dress. Yuya tried to pull down his pants.

Kyo called her a mangy mutt with fleas. Yuya called him an ugly crow-head.

Kyo tripped her onto the sandbox, Yuya tried to bite his hand...

It was no use, Kyo was always one step ahead on the chess board. In fact, for years to come, he'd always be one step ahead. It was an endless game of Tennis, and Yuya's volleys never hit quite hard enough. This was a trend Yuya fought her darnedest to break, but in vain. Perhaps it wasn't his actual actions that was the worst of it. Perhaps the worst part about it was that while Kyo had Yuya in so many different emotions: anger, fear, frustration, Kyo not once broke from that haughty and viscous facade. Did the boy ever get afraid? Did he ever lose? What made him so damn self-assured? It was outright infuriating. When Nozomu finally came to the rescue, and escorted Yuya home, Yuya was a positive mess. It wasn't till she sat down for dinner that she realized her beloved dress was dirty, torn, and grass-stained.

Akari didn't notice the wide-eyed and pained Yuya at the dinner table, but Nozomu did. Nozomu went up to her room and sat next to her on her bed. Yuya finally let out all her pent up tears. When she recalled everything Kyo did, Nozomu smiled gently and pet her head.

"Now Yuya, Kyo's just being a _boy_."

"B-but not all boys are like that! You're not like that! Daddy's not like that!" Yuya said, wiping her quick running nose with her sleeve.

"That's cause were _older_."

This may have been a legitimate reason for a little while, until Yuya realized Kyo didn't, in fact, get much better with age...

"Anyway Yuya, you just need to relax. You can't let this boy get to you. Why, you're my sweet, loving sister! You made me rescue that bat once, remember?"

Yuya was glad she didn't tell Nozomu what she did back.

"Well, good night then Yuya." Nozomu kissed her on the forehead and left her.

Within the confines of her blankets, Yuya fought hard to ease the aggravation and torment flowing in her veins. Her tiny hands balled into fists. No way was she going to let this boy give her fear. No way was she gonna be a dog-face, and no way was she going to let him boss her around like some tyrant!

Up till now, Yuya had no antagonists--nothing to fight, no disruption.

This boy was the reason Yuya caught on to the word "sadist" before anyone else her age.

Yuya was 5 years old.


	2. Ring Around the Rosie

**Hey, just wanted everyone to know that I had a ton of fun writing this chapter!**

**and I'm sorry I wrote "Muramasai" in the last chapter... :|**

**Anyway, Chapter 2!**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya stood, arms crossed. The wind rustled the fair strands of hair that broke free from her braid. She eyed him with all the hatred and grit she could muster. Kyo just did what he usually did when given this look--smiled.

Oh, it was _on_.

Yuya made the first move. She signaled to her li'l ones, and they ran immediately, as fast as their little legs would take them, in confusing zig-zags across the border. Some got hit and had to be taken, but Yuya didn't bat an eyelash. This was all a part of her "blitzkrieg" stragedy. The li'l ones made it clear they'd do anything for their dear leader, and she only had one thing on her mind: Kyo's _flag_.

Today was the day. She had to win. She _had_ to. After four years of suffering, she was going to see his awful grandeur shatter if it killed her. Hell, the boy was in her kindergarten, and her second and third grade class! He was like a never ending nightmare. He put glue in her hair, broke all her crayons, and called her names incessantly. Why, he even claimed that Yuya's cooties were ten times more potent than all the girls put together, so for a while, many kids dared to go near her. Yuya shuttered remembering all of his evil doings, but quickly snapped back. Right now, winning this game was the most important thing in the world.

According surveillance, Kyo's flag would be found right next to the neighborhood sign at the North entrance. "Funny," thought Yuya, "my flag is just at the opposite, the South entrance." Kyo's jail was at the willow tree, and Yuya's the great oak.

"Hitoki, Julian, Lulu, it's time for a prison break," said Yuya.

"Yes, mam!" they all said in unison. The threesome spread out a bit and began sprinting their way toward the giant willow.

"Saisei and Saishi...it's time for a revolution!" They hesitated for but a split second, then took off from each side. They went for the flag.

Yuya sighed, feeling a little uneasy. She'd just sent off her quickest runners, but everything was still going as planned...

The kids their age and younger of the neighborhood flocked to them like sheep. Perhaps it was because when Kyo and Yuya were at it, there was so much spark in the atmosphere, that the kids gathered around them hoping to get some spark for themselves. Kyo had slightly more kids on his team, but Yuya didn't take it personal, she decided he scared them into it. Many admired Yuya's strength and kindness, but many were in awe of Kyo's daring persona. Yuya was a defender and a believer, Kyo was a rebel.

Yuya strained her eyes and realized something bad. Kyo wasn't within sight. However, before Yuya could concentrate on this, she caught sight of Fubuki and Hishigi coming towards her territory. Yuya braced herself, they were Kyo's fastest and by the looks of it, she could only go after one..."No, screw that!" Yuya thought, "I'll herd them both!" She took off like lighting. She curled toward Fubuki and then Hishigi. Yuya managed to get them in a line, with Fubuki in front, and Hishigi tailing him. Yuya may have sent out her quickest runners, but Yuya was by far the fastest. In no time she smacked Hishigi on the back and grazed Fubuki's arm. Yuya smiled as she dragged them to the great oak. She was having her first taste of true victory...

Yuya tensed. Something was amiss--something was not right. Yuya felt a cold shock. She was pierced by an arrow of horror and the wound bled despair. Kyo was running the wrong way, and he was running fast. Kyo was running the wrong way because he was heading towards _his_ territory...

And he was holding her flag.

Yuya had no time to gulp, she chased after him with everything she had. Fubuki and Hishigi were bait and she'd eaten it up, but how did the punk manage to get so far off her radar? Where did he go? Yuya was sure she knew every secret passage, every nook and cranny of this neighborhood, so how? Yuya's minions were no match for Kyo's speed--it was all up to her. Her lungs were loosing air, but she didn't notice, all she felt now was drive. She was getting close. She was so close she was itching. With all her lasting strength, Yuya flung herself at him...

And touched him!

And It didn't matter.

By the time she had her hand clutched around his ankle, he was already past the border. He was safe. Kyo shook her hand off with his foot like she was a small yapping dog. Yuya guessed he was grinning, and hated the thought of it with every fiber in her body.

The entire neighborhood was still. Yuya felt her hand and knees sting from scraping them, but it was incomparable to the sting she felt in her soul. Kyo made to take her hand, but Yuya slapped him away. She glared at him with a look that said one thing:

"This isn't over."

With all the pride she possessed, Yuya rose from the ground, and began walking towards her house. She gritted her teeth, pain was far better than letting Kyo see her limp.

When Yuya's people saw this powerful display of dignity, they could only fall in love with her all over again.

Yuya was 9 years old.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya began unbuttoning her pajama top. She sleepily turned to the window and doubled over. There Kyo was sitting on the edge of his window and staring at her in all his arrogant glory. Yuya flushed red. She'd forgotten the window of Kyo's room was directly across from hers. Usually her blinds were pulled down. In the past, he'd thrown rocks at the window, terrified her at halloween, and spied on her like he was doing now. It had been two years since the capture-the-flag incident and Yuya still couldn't shake him off, nor the constant irritation. The beast went on to win not only the neighborhood water fight, but the flash-light tag tournament _and_ the treasure hunt championships as well. He was a parasite. To make matters worse, whenever she complained to her family about him they simply wouldn't hear it. Her mother had some warped idea that they were actually friends, _friends_! Even her brother somehow got along with him nicely. What was this, the Twilight Zone? Yuya felt so betrayed, and as if her life truly was some kind of sardonic joke, Kyo always wound up going on their family trips. The boy just _had_ to catch more fish than her whenever they went fishing and almost never let her go to sleep until he was sure he'd successfully petrified her with a ghost story. The crow-head had mastered the perfect balance of coming off as this nice "cool" boy to the rest of her family, but still a sadistic devil to her. The two-faced bastard...

"You perverted crow-haired devil!" Yuya yelled, "How dare you watch me undress, you s-sick demon!"

Yuya finally realized nothing could be heard from her closed window. Kyo just shrugged, jumped off the ledge, and casually walked to school.

That night, it was raining down hard. Yuya could hear the pitter-patter of the sound it made when hitting the roof. She was still fuming over what happened today. Not only had Kyo peeped at her, but he also took the liberty to tell her she was flat-chested in front of a boy she had a bit of a crush on. Yuya felt her chest and blushed at the action. Surely she'd have some volume later! Yuya was pulling back the blankets of her bed when she thought she heard a knocking sound. She strained her ears. It was probably the rain....

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Yuya jolted, it was coming from the window. She hastily pulled up the blinds.

There was Kyo. He was soaked through. Water was dripping down his jet-black hair, down his face. His eyes were piercing.

He wasn't grinning.

Yuya pushed up the window and Kyo immediately shoved her aside and climbed inside. The sweet scent of spring rain permeated her small room. Yuya had no idea what was going on, but regardless, something kept her from getting angry.

Something kept her from telling him to leave.

The truth was, Yuya had never seen him this way. Yuya had never seen him this numb. She'd never seen him this _sad_.

And for once, that innate instinct didn't tell her to fight, it told her to be gentle.

Yuya wordlessly left and came back with one of Nozomu's T-shirts and pair of his shorts. Yuya handed it to him and he took them. She knew that tonight he wasn't going to utter a single word.

When Yuya guessed he was done changing, she turned around and held out a towel.

Kyo just stared at her.

Yuya sighed. She draped the towel over his head and softly began rubbing his hair dry. When she was finished, she made to go get Kyo a blanket, but he snatched her wrist. Yuya wiggled her arm a little, but she realized his grip was so strong she'd have to pry each finger off one by one. The girl pretended to crawl into bed, thinking that would get him to let go, but to her surprise, he crawled in with her.

Kyo loosened his grasp but he still held her hand. It was exceptionally warm. At first, Yuya thought to protest, but then she decided she didn't care. She didn't care because at that moment, Kyo's pain was the most potent thing in the room, and though she'd never admit it, much less realize it, this pain of his was giving her more torment than anything he'd ever done to her before.

When she woke up, he was already gone, but his scent still lingered next to where she lay. Yuya would later discover that the night Kyo came to her room, was the same night Kyo's mother died eight years ago.

Yuya was 11 years old.


	3. Mary Had a Little Lamb

From the day after and onwards, Kyo acted as if that night had never happened. The boy was almost _more_ wicked than before as if to prove it wasn't possible. Yuya never forgot about that night though, not once. She saw a side to Kyo she never imagined was there. It haunted her sometimes. However, that didn't mean she forgave him for anything, especially since he was back and at it. Just yesterday, Kyo called her a dog-face in front of a mass of people in the cafeteria. The day before that, Kyo had hijacked her bike and Yuya wound up chasing after him all the way to school. By the time she got to class, her hair and clothes were tousled and she was soaked in sweat. Yet, what surprised her was when Kyo offered her a ride home on her _own_ bike. Yuya refused of course, for what she believed was clearly an insult--he had that grin on his face.

But when Yuya thought back to this time later, she would agree that this was a good year.

This was the year she met Sakuya.

Whether she knew it or not, Yuya was quite popular. She was after all, kind to everyone, and brave. In Yuya's middle school class there was a girl, Sakuya (thankfully no Kyo), whom many considered shy and strange. She kept to herself and was always immersed in her Astrology book. One day, a couple of boys were poking fun at her and messing with her things. Sakuya remained still. Her eyes were hooded under her bangs, and she looked nervous...

Yuya interevened.

"Hey punks! Why don't you get a life? Seriously, she obviously isn't interested."

Genuinely interested herself, Yuya began to gravitate towards the girl during breaks and at lunch time. Did this lower her fan points? Possibly. Did Yuya care? Absolutely not.

As it turns out, Sakuya really was interesting. Yuya loved asking her about her horoscope, because when she did, Sakuya's face would light up and she'd turn into a chatter box. It was positively delighting.

As the days went on, they grew closer and closer, and Yuya finally had the pleasure to call Sakuya her best friend. She was ecstatic--her very first best friend.

Yuya could hardly contain her excitement, she was practically choking on it--Sakuya was sleeping over.

The girls exchanged notes all through class. Boy, were they pros at it too. They had secret codes and everything. Yuya once passed a note via the tube of a marker.

"Wait. " said Yuya. "We should wait at least 10 minutes before we walk to my house."

"Why?" asked Sakuya.

Yuya didn't answer. She wasn't going to let Kyo ruin their fun. No way.

However, Yuya's plan backfired. Kyo was still loitering outside of his house by the time they got there. Yuya gave him a nasty glare that said "don't even think about it", but what "it" was, she wasn't totally sure. Then she grabbed Sakuya by the arm and dragged her into the house to safety.

"Hello Sakuya!" Akari gushed, clad in a frilly apron with giant hearts, "I've made chocolate chip cookies!"

The cheerful girls both took five then made their way to Yuya's room. Nozomu passed by and smiled at the guest. Sakuya blushed, she couldn't help it.

"That's my brother," said Yuya, "he's kinda dumb."

"Heard that!" yelled Nozomu.

The two girls looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

Inside, Yuya proceeded to show Sakuya all her prized possessions.

"...and this_," _said Yuya, whispering for some reason, "is a hawk's _nest_."

Sakuya set down her cookie and carefully took the nest from Yuya as if she'd just been handed Queen Elizabeth's crown.

"I found--actually Kyo found it first, but he said it was stupid and didn't want it, then--"

"Knock! knock! knock!"

Yuya froze. It couldn't be. There was no way.

"Knock! knock! knock!"

Yuya exchanged a look with Sakuya, then she hesitantly walked over to the window and lifted the blinds...

It was Kyo.

Enraged, Yuya cracked open the window so she could shout at him properly, but then he caught the opening, and lifted the window up all the way. He kicked her aside, and invited himself in.

"Hey dog face, I see you've dragged something in your house..."

"Yeah, you! What are you doing in here? Get out!" Yuya screamed at him, trying to tug him out, but his solid form just shook her off.

"I'm bored. Hey, is that the nest--"

"Don't you dare touch it with your dirty hands!" yelled Yuya.

Kyo smirked. "But it's a nest, don't you think it's already dirty?"

"Shut up! Just get out already!"

Sakuya watched them go at it for what felt like a long time and started thinking. What Yuya didn't know was that Sakuya was exceptionally clever at reading people, and Sakuya saw something there that Yuya could never see herself. Sakuya smiled and started nibbling her cookie. They bickered on...

She let out a giant sigh. At last, she had managed to successfully kick the crow-head out. She locked the window, pulled down the blinds, _and_ got Sakuya to help her hang a blanket over the window for good measure.

That night, the girls wiggled close under the covers. They giggled softly and shared their deepest, darkest secrets.

Yuya and Sakuya were 12 years old.


	4. Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yuya stared out the window, but she didn't see anything out there, all she could see was her best friend's tear strained face when she'd said goodbye.

Sakuya had moved away.

Yuya was in no mood for this family outing. Her neck was beginning to cramp from facing the window so long, but she ignored it. No way she was going to let Kyo see her all misty eyed. _Did he really have to come along?_ she thought, miserably. Yuya might have complained to her dense mother for having Kyo come with. After all, she was at that age where girls got more "fresh", but she lacked the energy. Her heart throbbed every time she saw girls laughing and smiling together. Sakuya was her best friend, and now she felt profoundly alone.

Yuya nonchalantly helped put up the tent then decided to wonder off; time to herself was long needed. Her entire skull ached from the effort not to cry.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Kyo asked.

Yuya pretended she didn't hear him and kept on walking. The leaves and twigs crunched beneath her feet, as she ducked branches and clambered over rocks. Yuya continued trudging on as her tears streaked down her cheeks, finally breaking free. Perhaps if she had felt closely connected with someone else, it would have softened the blow of Sakuya leaving, but Yuya didn't feel like there was anyone else. She even felt isolated from her own family.

Yuya halted and slumped down on a tree-stump to catch her breath. She wiped her nose and more stray tear drops. That's when she realized she didn't have a remote idea of where she was. Yuya panicked, it was already almost sunset and she was utterly lost in unfamiliar territory. She looked around, trying to catch her bearings when she suddenly heard the sound of sticks snapping and swishing leaves. Her heart pounded as she braced herself...

She spotted the red eyes first, then the dark hair second.

"Are you stupid dog-face? Only idiots go marching off in a place like this--" Kyo said, while violently kicking at a vine to entangle his leg from it. When he successfully freed it, he looked up.

"You're crying." he stated.

"I am NOT crying. Why don't you seriously just leave me alone!" Yuya choked out. She brushed off her tears with her sleeve so roughly, she chaffed her poor cheeks.

For a while, the two were both silent.

Kyo finally spoke, "Geez, it's not like you're never going to see her again. You can even call and message that mutt."

"You don't understa--" Yuya stopped herself after recognizing that solemn expression of his. _Of course he understands, _she thought,_ Kyo's mother is gone and he's never going to see her again. _

She flushed with shame. her pain suddenly felt extremely insignificant. Kyo figured out what she'd just realized and yet another awkward silence descended upon them.

Yuya's eyes roved around her surroundings, perhaps an attempt to formulate something to say, when she froze.

"Kyo, it's gotten really dark..."

"We shouldn't try to go back at this point, instead, we should try starting a fire. Your brother will probably find us."

"So you don't know how to get back either?"

Kyo glared at her.

_That's a no_.

"Hey dog-face, you aren't getting _scared_ are you?" he grinned, transforming into his usual self.

"N-no! I'm not scared, don't be stupid!" Yuya stammered. She stomped around snatching anything flammable. The two bickered over how to light the fire:

"No! You should put my leaf there!" said Yuya.

"Why? it should go here. I know my fires better than you do." remarked Kyo, moving her leaf.

"Well, we should definitely use my tissues then, you freaking Pyro!"

"Ew dog-face, they probably have your snot all over them..."

"They don't even!"

However, when the fire from the match caught onto to Yuya's leaf and then Kyo's twig, and then grew larger and larger, Yuya momentarily forgot she hated him and gave him a triumphant high-five.

She stumbled back, appalled at what she'd just done. She looked at her hand like it was purple with green spots. _A high-five_? She turned away to conceal her embarrassment.

"Hey dog-face, lets play a game." said Kyo, crouching down near the fire.

Yuya sat down too. "What kind of game?"

"I'll think of a noun, and you can ask twenty yes or no questions to guess what it is. If you don't figure out what noun I'm thinking of after twenty questions, you lose."

"Fine." said Yuya, turning on every part of her brain to get ready.

"Is it a person?"

"No."

"Is it a place?"

"No."

"Hey wait a minute," Yuya said, something dawning on her, "how do I know you're not gonna just keep changing the noun in your head so I can't win?"

Kyo's blood-red eyes pierced hers.

"I wouldn't do that." he said.

For some reason, Yuya blushed. She felt herself getting trapped by his gaze, but before another awkward silence could ensue, she heard someone calling.

"Kyo! Yuya?" a figure hobbled towards the fire and sighed.

"There you guys are. Where the hell did you go? Mom's totally freaking out." said Nozomu.

"Hold on!" Yuya cried, "Do _you_ know how to get back!"

Nozomu patted her on the head and smiled. "Of course, your brother is a genius you know."

Regardless of what he said, Yuya still felt it took much longer to get back than it did to get there...

During the rest of the camping trip, Kyo continued challenging her relentlessly. The punk managed to catch the biggest fish. He could stay underwater the longest. He somehow knew her noun each time after only five questions. However it wasn't till Yuya got home that she realized (rather guiltily) she'd forgotten her sadness over Sakuya, and it was all because of Kyo. She also realized she could in fact, call and message Sakuya,

and she did.

Perhaps, Yuya was feeling used to Kyo's character, or perhaps Kyo himself was letting up a little, or maybe the planets were strangely aligned. Nonetheless, over the next weeks after that camping trip, Yuya found herself in Kyo's company more and more, and she found she wasn't particularly hating it either.

Kyo often wound up in her room and Yuya didn't try to kick him out. They still challenged each other of course. Kyo proceeded to beat her at all types of card games, chess, Monopoly, and battle ship...

Whether she acknowledged it or not, Yuya even snuck snacks from the kitchen and stored them in her room so they could snack on them. It didn't surprise her that her mother seemed to never notice Kyo was there. Her brother may have noticed, but he never said anything. Kyo sometimes stayed past her bed time too. It made Yuya feel kind of cool and rebellious. Occasionally, Yuya went to his room to play video games. The first time, She observed his room closely. It was quite plain and simple, and not remotely as messy as she imagined it would be. Yuya spotted a photograph on his bed stand. She knew immediately the woman in the photo was his mother. Yuya concluded she was a lovely woman, and she knew Kyo missed her more than he showed.

His room harbored another occupant as well--Kyo's cat. She was a petite calico named Indara who only trusted Kyo. Every time Yuya tried to get near her she'd hiss at her, even when Yuya got too close to Kyo. Though Kyo found this amusing, it annoyed Yuya greatly. _You dumb cat_, she thought, _don't you know just what kind of person your owner is?_ However, when she saw him petting Indara, she changed her mind. Yuya never thought it was possible for Kyo to be that gentle. For some reason, her heart beat faster.

Once, an epic neighborhood Water-Warfare challenge took place, and this time, Kyo and Yuya were on the same team. Though the other team had many more kids as a handicap, Kyo and Yuya still had total domination. Yuya would never admit it out loud but her face conveyed her excitement. She loved the fact that she was wearing war paint. Her heart raced with adrenaline, and her eyes glazed over. Kyo had even agreed to some of her strategic plans, which oddly, flattered her. As it turns out, when Kyo and Yuya worked as a team, they were pretty much unstoppable.

The li'l ones trembled in awe.

Kyo even had a unique sense of humor that Yuya caught on to eventually. Many boys might've described his humor as sick, but Yuya must have missed that part. When they were together, Yuya knew he found something funny because he laughed in his eyes. His mouth would curl in a smile and his crimson orbs would flicker like two flames.

Though he'd still openly laugh out loud at her....

If someone asked Yuya about Kyo, instead of referring to him as her arch nemesis, at this point, she might of actually called him her _friend_.

This lasted until one fateful day.

But that fateful day was yet to come.

For now, Kyo and Yuya were 13 years old.


	5. I'm a Little Tea Pot

Yuya eyed a frilly green blouse with discontent, this was clearly not her thing. Unlike most girls, Yuya never seemed to get a real kick out of going to the mall. After all, constantly saying no to the outrageous, gaudy outfits her mother picked out was exhausting. Luckily, Akari dropped her off this time. She went to examine a pair of khaki shorts with potential, when she spotted a familiar head of black hair not too far away. Yuya might of said hi, but she noticed that Kyo was with his two friends from school, so she hesitated. Benitora was rather questionable, and Yuya didn't trust Kyoshiro's plastic smile as far as she could throw a horse. She couldn't figure out why Kyo associated with them...

"Yo, Kyo, you seem to hang out with this Yuya chick all the time. What's so great about her? Is she like your girlfriend or something?" Benitora piped up.

Yuya quicky dashed behind a rack of clothes so she couldn't be seen.

She heard Kyo laugh. "There's nothing great about that dog-face. I just hang around her cause I get bored."

Kyoshiro sniggered. "So I take it _not_ your girlfriend."

"Hell no, I don't know why anyone would date that dog-face; she's a total pain in the ass. That chick's been dragging me down since we were kids..."

They walked off out of sight.

Yuya hugged her knees to keep herself from trembling. She wasn't sure if she'd ever felt this hurt in her entire life. Cold drops of liquid fell from her eyes and landed on her arms. Her stomach twisted into a sickly knot. Perhaps her greatest fear of all was for Kyo to look down upon her. Perhaps she wanted to believe that underneath all of his taunts and slights, Kyo actually respected her. Perhaps his acknowledgement was what she'd been secretly fighting for all these years. _You stupid, stupid girl_, thought Yuya, tears hitting her skin like rain. She stared at her hands, and for some reason, she had a strange urge to hurt them. Never had she felt so dumb. She felt like a sad, pathetic piece of flesh.

A joke.

Slowly, her pain and humiliation boiled into hatred. By the time Yuya got in the car, she was void of emotion. This was the kind of anger that made her numb and listless.

"So I think I saw Kyo--" Akari began.

"Don't ever say that name again." Yuya said fiercely. She could feel her mother staring at her, but Yuya didn't turn her head. She wasn't going to give an inch. The rest of the car ride was silent. Yuya ached to be in her room. When the car finally pulled to a stop, Yuya went straight to her refuge and curled on top of her bed. For a while she lay there, soaking in sorrow.

"Yuya come down stairs! Dinner is ready!"

Yuya said she wasn't hungry.

She heard a knock at the door. She knew it was her brother, she knew he was coming. Whenever she had a problem, her mother always asked Nozomu to deal with it, as if Akari didn't know how to herself. She'd already decided how to handle this. Nozomu stepped into her room, and she felt the weight shift as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Yuya, are you mad a Kyo?"

Yuya said nothing.

"Yuya, I know you're mad at him and Kyo probably did something "mean" again, but what you need to understand is, he's probably acting this way because--"

"Because he doesn't have his mother." she finished for him. Yuya gritted her teeth. _Not this explanation again_. Nozomu always brought it up, and she always let it work.

"You're right, I am mad at Kyo. He really hurt me." Yuya swallowed an invisible lump in her throat. "I'm tired of it. I've had to deal with him ever since I was five. I don't want to do it anymore. I don't need this. I see no reason to be with people who make me sad. Now, if I ever decide to forgive him, it'll be on my own time, not yours. This isn't your problem. Me and Kyo aren't your problem. I'm 14 years old, I can deal with this on my own, in my own way. I'll be fine soon, so can you please let me be alone for a bit?" She attempted to say that last part more cheerily.

Nozomu stayed there for a while in silence. Then he finally gave up and left. Yuya knew he was disappointed, but she didn't care. This time it was different.

Yuya said she'd be fine, but she merely had a few bites of toast for breakfast the next day, and only an apple for lunch.

She avoided Kyo like the plague. When she heard tapping at her window, she ignored it. Kyo finally stopped going near her room after a few days. Whenever Yuya accidently caught sight of him, she glared at the boy like he was sin itself. Once, Kyo even came to the front door and rang the door bell. Why he came, Yuya wasn't sure, she just pretended to be asleep. He must have gotten the hint, because after about two weeks, Kyo stopped coming around all together.

Whether it was to make a point, or because she didn't feel like it, Yuya continued to eat little.

One day, Yuya heard an interesting piece information from a classmate. Apparently, Kyo was going to boarding school. This surprised her greatly but she pretended not to care. She still managed to extract some more details out of the kid. He said something about Kyo getting into trouble for fighting and that his dad decided to put him in boarding school. _To what, straighten him out? _pondered Yuya. The whole thing sounded odd to her.

It was odd, but also, she realized later, quite true.

Yuya was attempting to study, which was difficult because she always felt uncomfortably hungry these days, when she heard the door bell ring. She could only faintly hear his voice, but she knew it was Kyo. She flung herself on her bed and began to feign sleep. Yuya wasn't really sure why she even bothered to shut her eyes, when nobody could even see her, but she did it anyway.

After the sound of muffled voices, which she guessed were both Nozomu's and Akari's, it was still...

"Knock knock knock!"

Yuya stiffened. She knew who it was--it was that innate instinct again. She braced herself, she knew she had to answer. If she didn't, she wasn't sure what would happen next...

She didn't touch the door knob till her back was straight and she'd composed herself completely. Yuya was still startled when she opened the door. She was met by a Kyo quite foreign to her. He looked fiercer; more grim. _How long has it been?_ wondered Yuya, _a couple of months?_ She began to get more and more concerned with him when she mentally kicked herself. _He thinks your a joke Yuya_, she said to herself, _he thinks your'e a pain._ Ever since that day, the girl had been chanting those words in her head like they were a holy mantra. She stared at the boy responsible for her shattered confidence. She noted he might also be angry judging by the look in his eye and the set of his jaw, but she wasn't scared. She just didn't care.

After a while, Kyo finally spoke.

"Yuya." he began, in a low voice.

This took her off guard. She couldn't remember when it last was he'd said her actual name, but she wasn't going to let that sway her; no way. She was determined this time.

"What. Your'e leaving to go to boarding school right? Then just go already. I have no idea why you could possibly be standing here. I need to study right now, I have a huge test in Geography. You have something to say right? What, is it goodbye? Well, then, good-bye." Yuya said these words so coldly she even shocked herself, but what surprised her most, was Kyo's reaction. She saw in his eyes something she wasn't quite ready to believe; he looked like he was in pain, despondent. She might have thought to take back what she'd said, but before she could even make the effort, he had already walked away.

Yuya didn't go after him.

Her feet were glued to the floor.

Just like she said, she was 14 years old.

...and she was turning 15 the next day.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

**I know, I know, Yuya's kind of lame/weak in this chapter, but everyone goes through a bit of an "emo" period yeah? I know I did...**

**She'll probably get better, otherwise she wouldn't be Yuya, right?**

**It's coming you guys, **

**high school's coming...I can feel it...**


	6. This Old Man

Yuya checked her hair to make sure every loose curl was in place. She knew she was nervous for her first day of high school as a Sophomore, but there was something else plaguing her. This feeling was possibly because she'd just discovered that Kyo was coming back from boarding school.

It had been months since he had been gone. He came back for holidays, but she hardly ever caught sight of him. When she did, it was...awkward. Yuya could never imagine what to say to him. At this point, it was all so messy, she tried hard not to think about it. Those weeks after he'd left had been some of the most troubling days of her life. Luckily, Sakuya came to visit and that took her mind off the ordeal for a little while. Eventually, Yuya's appetite came back. After a few days of being a Freshman, she even met a nice boy, Shinrei. He had a kind smile and always said hello to her. Shinrei was popular and polite. He was like a prince. She realized she had developed a crush on him.

Yuya was feeling better. However, every once in a while, she felt a pang in her chest. It came to her when she looked out her window and saw Kyo's empty room, or when she spotted her cards that she hadn't played with in ages. She never played solitaire back when she was younger. This pang she felt brought so many confusing and painful emotions that she would desperately distract herself so she wouldn't feel them. Perhaps this emotion had much to do with regret, and regret was something that Yuya did not want to accept. Regret would hurt too much, regret couldn't change anything.

The girl took a deep breath. She shook her head, making her curls fly across her face, as if the gesture would brush off all her icky emotions. Yuya had surrendered more to vanity. She payed more attention to her hair; she wore more skirts. Yet, she hardly ever wore make-up. She didn't like the feeling of it on her face, she liked being able to rub her eye without any consequences. With one last check in the mirror she swung her back-pack over her shoulder and headed out the door.

Outside, she scanned her surroundings for a certain someone, feeling paranoid. She was admittedly, a bit afraid to run into him.

The coast was clear. _Did he drive?_ Yuya wondered, _Is he not going to school?_ She shook her head again to clear him of her thoughts. The rest of the way there, she only prayed that Shinrei would be in her class.

Yuya's heart beat with gratitude. Not only was Shinrei in her class, but so were a few girls she knew from last year. Kiyoshiro was also in her class, but she'd live. She said an enthusiastic "hello" to Shinrei, then proceeded to sit next to one of the girls. This was going to be a good year, even Yukimura was in her class, and he was always one to crack good jokes.

"Hello class, I'm Mr. Nobunaga. I will now begin attendance..." the mysterious, middle aged man fixed his glasses and peered at the list,

"Kamijyo Akimine."

"Here."

"Kenji Bikara."

"Here."

"Okuni Izumo."

"Here."

"Kyoshiro Mibu."

"Here."

"Sakura Kenyou."

"He--"

"Knock knock knock!"

Irritated, Mr. Nobunaga went over and impatiently thrust open the door.

Yuya blanched.

There was no way.

It couldn't be.

She stared at the person standing at the door she was the least prepared to see.

He had changed.

The boy now before her was tall and intimidating; strong, but slender. His ears were adorned with several piercings. His hair was slightly messy and virtually covered his left eye. His eyes seemed like they could burn through a wall, and for a split second, those eyes met hers.

Yuya's knees went weak and she remembered this school's policy: "No switching out of classes, ever."

"and you are?" asked the teacher.

"Kyo."

"Well, Kyo, I'd like to remind you that class begins at exactly 7:45 AM. Please don't make it a habit of showing up late. You can take a seat over there." he gestured to an empty seat towards the back.

Kyo just shrugged and started walking. She could have sworn there eyes met for a second time when he passed her.

Yuya barely tuned in to what the teacher was saying for the rest of class. All she could think about was her current situation and how, well, how fucked up it was. She was already feeling the anxiety, it seemed to radiate from behind her, where she knew Kyo was sitting. Her back felt like it was burning. How was she going to survive this year? She weighed her options. Yuya finally narrowed them down to two: pretend you never knew him for a whole year, or talk to him. She clenched her hands, she knew she must talk to him, she had been avoiding this for too long. Why did she feel so nervous? All she had to say was hello. It wasn't like she'd hurt his feelings or anything...Yuya inwardly groaned. She concluded she had to speak to him no matter what, and regardless of what she'd said, she knew she'd receive daggers on his end.

It was worth it.

_Lunch,_ thought Yuya, _I'll speak to him during lunch._ She did her best to tame the ferocious butterflies in her stomach.

However, when lunch rolled around, she realized he was no where in sight. _Where did he disappear to? _

_Okay then_, Yuya decided, half disappointed, half relieved, _after school_.

Yuya quickly discovered what the current hot topic for gossip was--the boy that walked in late to class.

"I heard he fought against 30 people and _won_." whispered a boy.

_Wait, what?_

"I heard he's apart of an illicit drug trade." whispered a girl.

_Huh?_

"Someone told me he skinned a rabbit and ate it's heart with only his hands."

Yuya had to laugh.

"Well, I hear he shot _three_ people." whispered another boy.

_Okay, sure, Kyo can be a little frightening, but he's not about to shoot anybody..._

This was all too ridiculous for words, she looked over at Kyoshiro to see what he made of this, but he was absorbed in some perverted magazine.

_Dumb traitor,_ she thought. At least Shinrei wasn't involved with this as well. Yuya snuck a peak at him and smiled, _He looks as good as ever._..

"Well, I think Kyo's kind of hot." said one girl.

"Yeah, I would totally go out with him, I like my boys scary."

_What? Who is this Okuni girl?_ marveled Yuya. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to get out of this crazy dimension and take two tylenols. Today had been psychologically draining. Kyo didn't even return after lunch, which made her more nervous...

Finally, she could leave the ludicrous classroom, but because school was out, she felt those butterflies coming back again--she had to speak to Kyo.

_I'll catch him before he goes in his house. _

Realizing this would be difficult, and she'd have to get there rather fast, Yuya pushed all her inhibition aside, gritted her teeth, and took off running. She had to do this if she was going to survive this year, she had to.

Sprinting as fast as she could, Yuya quickly reached the neighborhood. When his house came into view, she spotted him outside.

_Yes! There he is!_

At a certain point, Yuya realized she wasn't slowing down fast enough and she was likely going to run straight into him; that's when Kyo sensed her coming and stepped aside...

Yuya tripped over a rock and planted herself in the grass.

She caught her breath and tried to steady herself. She peered up at the boy towering over her. She gulped, Kyo had never looked so menacing...

"Um...hi..." Yuya began,

"What the hell are you doing?"

Yuya flinched. She'd expected him to be abrasive, but her heart still pounded.

"I-I just wanted to say hello..."

"Well, hello." he said coldly.

He turned and walked away and Yuya remembered her words from before: "You have something to say right? Is it good-bye? Well, then, goodbye."

_No._

This was not how she wanted it to be. She hated the fact that Kyo wasn't grinning anymore. It was eating at her. Yuya made up her mind. She was going to make Kyo grin again. She was going to make him call her a dog-face; even if she had to give up every last ounce of her dignity, even if it killed her. Yuya shivered, it had been a long time since she had this feeling, this feeling as if she were going to war.

She waited till around 10:30 that night to put her plan into action. _The later, the better, _she decided. When it was time, she pulled on a navy hoodie and put a pack of cards in her pocket, she brought a flash light as well, just in case. She headed outside, over to Kyo's window and began knocking...

and knocking.

and knocking.

She knew this was going to take _a lot_ of knocking. Yuya had to take some breaks. She played with some grass and stared thoughtfully at the moon which was brilliant and full. The girl figured he might have left his room all together. She knew this boy was stubborn, but so was she.

Finally, some time around, 12:11 AM, Yuya went from knocking to full on window banging, and that was the last straw. She barely noticed the blinds fly up. She heard the sound of the window cracking open, and in no time, she was taken by the arm, and roughly thrown to the floor. The floor of Kyo's room.

_Success! _ she thought happily, even though her leg and elbow were hurting.

"You! What the fuck are you doing?" Kyo demanded. His eyes were full on flaming.

Yuya was ready for this. She looked up at him without any trace of fear. She even smiled lightly and said "Do you wanna play cards?"

Yuya felt the air around them grow still. His room was utterly silent safe for the faint hissing sound from Kyo's cat.

"What?" Kyo finally asked.

"You know, cards. I thought we could play cards--"

"What the _fuck_ makes you think I want to play cards with a dog-face like you?"

He may have said this unemotionally, but at least he called her a dog face.

"So...you don't want to play cards with me?" Yuya attempted to ask cutely.

Kyo ran his hand along his face. The boy was clearly trying his damnedest to keep his anger in check. For the first time in a long while, Yuya observed him closely. He definitely looked older. His jaw showed the faintest hint of hairs. His eyes were even more piercing and refined than before. His hands seemed more worn than she remembered. She noticed a scar on his right arm...

"No."

Yuya snapped back, and she realized plan B was ready to go into action.

"Fine!" She spoke. She acted as strong and confident as she could.

"I challenge you!"

Again, the silence ensued and Kyo looked at her questioningly.

"If I beat you on the next exam, then _you_ have to play cards with me!"

"That's stupid."

"Oh I see, you don't want to accept cause you know you'll _lose_."

Something within Kyo was beginning to spark again...

She sighed. "You must be rusty at the whole "smart thing". I mean, you're like a total _delinquent_, I guess..."

Yuya's eyes smiled, she knew she was reaching him.

"I hear you shot someone." she whispered, now looking serious.

To her surprise, Kyo stepped closer. He searched her face.

"Do you believe that?"

Yuya wondered what even made him ask.

She scoffed. "Of course not!" she answered easily.

That's when she saw it.

Kyo's eyes sparkled.

"Fine dog-face. I accept your challenge. Only if I win, you have to do whatever I say."

This obviously wasn't fair, but Yuya didn't mind.

"Done!"

"Oh and one more thing." said Kyo. He shocked her by slowly running his finger along her cheek and stepping a little too near...

"You might want think twice before going to a _boy's_ room, this late at night."

_Huh?_

"W-whatever!" said Yuya, pushing him away, trying to hide her red face, "J-just remember the challenge!" She clambered out of his window and retreated to her room.

Within the confines of her blankets, she let out a sigh. After months, she finally felt like things were returning back to normal.

She had a true sense of relief.

Except now she realized she was going to have to study her ass off...

Yuya smiled.

It was _on_.

To be continued (Yuya is 16 years-old)...


	7. Row, Row, Row Your Boat

**Hello! Just wanted to thank you all for your reviews. I love hearing how you guys think and your ideas **_**and**_** your predictions! It brings a genuine smile to my face, and sometimes makes me giggle stupidly...then my mom will catch me in the act and be like "what's so funny?" **

**"...nothing mom!"**

**Also, I don't know if I should turn this to M right now (It'll probably turn M later) because of all the swearing haha, but Kyo's gotta swear damn it! **

**Okay Okay, Chapter 7:**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. Surely, it would look different the second time...

She clenched her hands to keep herself from ripping the results sheet off the wall and tearing it to shreds.

"First place?" she asked, gritting her teeth. She should have known. The bastard had been ridiculously clever since they were kids. How else could he be so damn cunning? A shadow loomed over her and a chin suddenly rested against her shoulder.

"Better luck next time." said a voice too close to her ear. She jumped back to see Kyo soaking in his victory.

Kyo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What was that again...about being a delinquent and being stupid?"

Yuya growled. He was enjoying this _way_ too much. She'd completely forgot that the grin he now wore was her whole goal in the first place.

"Now, now little puppy, there's no need to growl...oh that's right," Kyo moved his face closer so that they were at eye level, "you have to do _whatever_ I say." Kyo patted her head. "Now be a good doggie!" and he took off.

"Argh!" yelled Yuya, kicking invisible things on the floor, "Stupid, stupid, stupid _crow-head_! Fricken blood-eyed monster-faced devil man! I'm gonna--"

"Yuya?"

The girl froze. Did the gods love to play with her or something?

"Oh, h-hi Shinrei..."

Shinrei's golden eyes observed her closely.

"Are you alright Yuya?" He asked, in a worried tone.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." she answered sheepishly. She rather guiltily realized she'd forgotten about him the past week. She didn't have the _time_.

Shinrei smiled warmly and Yuya's heart went pitter patter. "Well, I'll see you in class, Yuya."

"Yeah." she breathed. For some reason, it was always nice to hear a boy say her name.

Back in class, Yuya was now acutely aware of Shinrei's presence. She observed him thoughtfully. It always amazed her how he could be so "zen". She wondered if he ever raised his voice...

"Miss Yuya, what would be the answer to this equation?" inquired Mr. Nobunaga.

"Huh? I uh..."

Perhaps if you weren't staring at Shinrei the whole time I was explaining, you'd _know_."

The entire class giggled. Yuya flushed red. How much she wanted to strangle this loathsome teacher to death...

Lunch began, and to Yuya's immense relief, Shinrei spoke to her like he usually did, as if to say "you don't need to be embarassed."

"Yuya, I'd like to congratulate you on how well you did on your exams." His warm honey eyes glittered at her. Over half the female body had to be in love with him--this gentle prince.

"T-thank-you. I studied a lot and hardly slept. I'm pretty out of it right now..." stammered Yuya, laughing nervously.

Shinrei smiled.

"Ah, you have something in your hair." She stiffened as he reached towards her tresses, A delicate finger brushed one of her yellow ochre locks--"

"Yo dog-face!"

Both Yuya and Shinrei flinched. Annoyance and embarrassment welled up inside her. Why did she ever challenge him again?

"Get your ass over here." The whole class was tuned in, and Yuya tried to tune that certain fact out. She'd lost the bet, she had to go.

She stomped over to where he sat. His legs were propped up against a chair, as if he were at home on a sofa.

"What?" She asked impatiently. Kiyoshiro backed off and turned a page of his magazine adorned with half naked women.

"Be a good doggie, and feed me."

Yuya's body went rigid with defiance.

"No. Way."

Kyo mocked disappointment "Aww what's wrong, you don't want _Shinrei_ to watch?"

"I don't want anyone to watch!" Yuya said fiercely, growing more and more indignant by the second.

He clicked his tongue. "I'm way smarter than that clod. He scored _second_ on the last exams...and oh yeah," Kyo's lip curled into a taunting smile, "you got _third_."

Oh, how much Yuya wished to turn onto Kyo the way his cat did to her.

"Don't call him that! Shinrei's this school's _prince_! He's polite and calm...infact, there's a lot _you_ could learn from him!"

Kyo's scarlet eyes burst into flame.

_Uh-oh, maybe I went too far on that one? _Yuya thought, feeling uneasy.

"Fine, if you're not gonna feed me, then I hope you're ready for the consequences."

As it turned out, Kyo's flaming eyes foreshadowed hell.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya felt like a slave in ancient Egypt. He left her no quarter. Kyo had the girl carrying his books to and fro. He made damn sure she cleaned every square inch of his room. The boy even made her cook him dinner.

Yuya stooped over the sauce pan and stirred gingerly, For some reason, she really wanted this food to taste good. She found it easy to concentrate in this house. Kyo's house was always so quiet--a thick, tangible silence. It wasn't like her house where Akari always went off in hysterics over minor accidents and the T.V. was blasting even when no one was watching. Often, Nozomu brought his friends over. She stuck her finger into the broth and then licked it.

_Hmm, needs more salt._ She proceeded to shake a bit more into the soup when her neck prickled. She turned to see who was behind her.

"Oh, h-hi Mr. Muramasa!"

He smiled so kindly Yuya felt a twinge in her heart. _This poor man, how long now has he been without his wife?_ Muramasa's face was gentle and sweet--making her wonder how he had a son like Kyo--but also wrought with pain-- a deep, penetrating pain from losing the one you love. She noticed he looked a bit older, wearier.

"Are you making something Yuya?" asked Mr. Muramasa, concealing his grief with attempted cheeriness.

Yuya beamed. "Yeah! I'm making chicken noodle soup, and it's all from scratch, even the noodles!" Yuya said proudly.

"Wow, I see. It's been a while since Kyo's had a legitimate dinner. I'm not so good at cooking myself. Usually he'll just pour some cereal and go off to his room..."

He smiled, but that grief graced his features once again.

"I'm truly thankful Kyo has a friend like you." Muramasa said before leaving the kitchen.

Yuya almost dropped the ladle she was holding. She was beginning to feel the early warning signs for tears: the throbbing heart, the light ache of the head...

This house felt so lonely, and Kyo grew up in it. She went back to her soup and became more serious than before. She hitched up her sleeves.

This soup was going to be tastey no matter what.

She poured each portion into three identical bowls and set them on the table. Excited, Yuya turned on all her senses while she watched Kyo intently; she didn't want to miss any gesture that would hint at what he thought of her food.

Kyo stilled after he placed the spoon brimmed with broth in his mouth. His head was down too far and his hair covered his eyes so she couldn't see them. What she could see--and she swore she wasn't imagining it--was Kyo's cheeks tinged red. She noticed Murumasa had a similar reaction.

That was enough. Yuya bubbled over with pride. She was enjoying this. She wondered how the air surrounding the table where they sat could feel so warm.

Yuya clapped her hands together. "Well, don't be shy! Help yourselves!"

It wasn't till she was about to leave that Kyo forcefully pulled her back and said so lightly she'd could barely make it out,

"Thank-you."

Yuya's blush stayed with her until she went to bed.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya definitely wasn't blushing the next day when she was late to school because Kyo went over to her window and demanded she make him breakfast.

_It's way too early for this._

When she stuffed down the omellette she fried for her and Kyo, she spotted him smirking haughtily at her.

_What now?_

It looks like you're gonna be late miss dog, I can drive you, if you want."

She nearly choked on egg she was chewing.

"_You_ can _drive_?" She asked in disbelief.

Kyo didn't answer.

_That lucky punk!_ She felt like she lost again.

"Well?" he drawled.

She swallowed her food and said defiantly, "No, I can walk! What waste of gas!" She also didn't want people to suspect anything between them, rumors were already starting to form that they were in a relationship...

Kyo just shrugged. "Suit yourself miss dog. I just hope that Nobunaga bastard will be understanding." He swung his keys around his finger and sauntered off.

"Argh!" Yuya thought more than said. At the moment, she was running towards school.

Right before she made it to the door, she tripped and skinned her knee on the pavement, and it stung like wild.

Yuya closely resembled a zombie by the time she dragged herself to her seat. Her curled hair was in a frenzy. She was too numb and tired to hear what Mr. Nobunaga had to say. She did however, catch a glimpse of Kyo, and he appeared to be on the cuff of laughter.

One of Yuya's veins must have popped.

_I'm done,_ she thought wearily. _I will be his slave no longer. _

She successfully evaded him at lunch and all the rest of class.

However, when she was walking back to school, Kyo was sitting on the half-way bench (Yuya called it the half-way bench, because it was halfway between her house and the school).

_Oh hell no, what now?_

Kyo motioned to the space next to him.

"Sit girl."

"No. I'm not going to do what you say anymore. This bet is over, okay? I-it was only meant to last for a week, remember?" Yuya made up on the fly.

Kyo arched his brow. He obviously knew she was lying.

"Fine, It'll be over after you sit."

This answer was more than Yuya could have ever hoped for. She sat immediately knowing it would all soon be over. She could finally escape hell.

She awkwardly glanced at Kyo and doubled over when he put a cigarette to his mouth. As if by reflex, she thrust the cigrarette out of his fingers and threw it to ground.

"What the hell?" Kyo asked angrily.

"N-no!" said Yuya.

"No what?"

"No...smoking!"

"Why?"

"Cause it's bad for you!"

"So?"

"So it's bad, and you're not old enough!"

Kyo wiped his face with his hand in irritation, that was his last cigarette.

Yuya inspected him closely with widened eyes.

"You drink too don't you?" she accused.

"Only beer...and whiskey...and sometimes vodka--"

"God, what's happened to you!"

Kyo said nothing. Instead he pulled on one of her golden-yellow ringlets.

"Dog-face, when did you start curling your hair?"

"W-when, when...like later..." Yuya stammered.

"Well it looks weird as hell."

"Yeah well...your earings look weird as hell, and your hair is totally in your eyes!" She frustratedly tried to push back his fringes.

Kyo looked at her thoughtfully, possibly with a hint of amusement. She yanked her hand back, horrified.

This was getting _awkward_.

"Pull up your skirt." he commanded.

"W-what? No way!!"

He let out a huff of annoyance and then proceeded to pull up her skirt himself a little past her knee. She jerked back her leg, when she noticed what he was staring at. It was the scrape from this morning when she fell. The cut wasn't exactly bleeding, but it still stung like hell.

"Give me a bandaid."

"I d-don't have--"

"Yes you do, you're totally that type that carries around bandaids."

Yuya grumbled because he was right, she reached in her book-bag and handed him a polka-dotted bandaid.

When he laid the bandaid on her cut, she felt his fingers brush against her skin, and flushed madly. The girl thought her heart might beat right out of her skin...

What the two weren't aware of, was that somewhere off, a group of individuals were watching them.

To be continued (this green-eyed girl is still 16)...


	8. Pop Goes the Weasel

**Hey everyone! I apologize for cranking out this chapter a little later than usual. I just got back from traveling. Summer is almost over! Ahhh :'((( Anyway, I went to a store and found SAMURAI DEEPER KYO PLAYING CARDS! I even bought them! The thing is though, I'll probably never use them cause I don't want them to get damaged! Haha they'll probably just wind up collecting dust...**

**Okay okay, enough rambling! On with the story!**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

"Like I was saying, Yuya, I really don't know what my mom was thinking when she named me." said Midori. She popped a block of cheese in her mouth.

"Uh-huh."

"I mean, at least the name would fit you since you've got green eyes and all. You're so lucky you know! Green eyes are sooo rare! But, you know, I think everyone's name kind of fits them in a way...hey, are you even listening?"

"Y-yeah." said Yuya, barely conscious of anything her friend was saying. At the moment, her attention was focused elsewhere. She carefully eyed two individuals in the back of the classroom.

_What is she even doing over there? _

Yuya glanced at Kyo to see how he was reacting. He appeared calm, no, bored Yuya decided. He had to be bored, how could he possibly be entertained by that sinister woman?

Yuya's narrowed eyes flew open.

_Did he just laugh? What the hell? Kyo doesn't usually smile, well in public anyway._

Yuya was getting annoyed. What could that witch woman possibly say that'd make that blood-eyed demon _laugh_? She scratched her arms, but that did no good. Somehow, it was her insides that were itching. Over the course of a few days she noticed more and more girls paid attention to Kyo. It was as if they'd do anything to capture his attention, but when he did acknowledge them, they cowered in fear. Yuya concluded they were all insane. She also decided Kyo found all of them irritating, except...

She ran her hand along one of her smooth strands of hair, feeling a little embarrassed. That morning, Yuya firmly explained to herself she only left it straight because "she felt like it". She glared at Kyo's fangy smile until she realized he'd caught her staring. In huff, she quickly flung her head away and her hair whipped around her like a fan.

"Yuya?"

"Huh? Oh! Hey Shinrei, w-what's up?"

"Well, the homework tonight seems a bit complicated. I was wondering if I could get your number so I could call you for help?"

Yuya blushed, flattered _he_ would ask _her_ for help.

"Of course!" She delved into her book-bag and uncovered her phone. They both exchanged numbers. Yuya's heart beat excitedly when she typed "S-h-i-n-r-e-i". She hardly had any contacts who were boys. Infact, the only ones she had were pretty much her father and brother.

Shinrei glanced towards the back. "Oh, Okuni is over with Kyo. That's right, I heard Kyo might like her. It'd be a good match, wouldn't it? Devil with devil...Yuya? Are you okay?"

Yuya had dropped her phone.

"Y-yeah I'm okay, why?"

Shinrei was still skeptical. Yuya must have looked, somehow, paler than usual.

"L-lunch is almost over Shinrei, we better get to our seats."

"Yeah..."

Yuya couldn't hear a word Mr. Nobunaga was saying. Her head was pounding from the information she'd just learned.

_Okuni and Kyo? When did this happen?_ Yuya gripped her pencil. Why was it bothering her?

Then she asked herself a few things that wound up terribly important to her: did Kyo ever call _her_ a dog-face? Did he always call her by her real name? Was he actually nice to _her_?

For some reason, these questions stayed with her. They were a seed planted inside and there they grew hurt, confusion, and above all aggravation. Her emotion had her tense and irritable all the rest of school. It was as if everyone and everything was suddenly out to annoy her. Why was her eraser so white? Why did Mr. Nobunaga have to have that stupid mustache?

She was attempting to make her way to home quickly, when she stopped in her tracks. Kyo was standing right next to the maple tree. The tree she always passed on her way from school. She immediately set up all her defenses at the sight of him--the source of all her annoyance.

"What?" she snapped.

He only shrugged. "Nothing, just thought I'd walk my dog home."

At the word "dog", Yuya became enraged.

"I'm not your dog! Just shut the hell up and walk home yourself!"

Kyo's eyes might have widened a little. Then they began to smolder. Yuya didn't care. Her eyes were already some kind of emerald fire themselves.

"Oh my, what, are you on your period or something?"

She could kill him. She could kill him and...bury him in a ditch somewhere.

"You are such an asshole! she said visciously. Anyone who might of saw her in this moment would have agreed she absolutely hated him. She thought of any way she could get at him the most. "You're always like this! You treat me like shit you know that? ever since we were kids. What, do you have problems at home or something? Why can't you be more like Shinre--"

Yuya stopped because Kyo had closed most of the distance between them and gripped her wrist. It was hurting.

"You." Kyo began, his red eyes now like volcanoes--dangerous, "can walk your own ass home." He flung down her hand like it was something gross and walked away.

Yuya didn't take one step forward till she knew he was clear out of sight, then she started towards her house.

She was feeling so unbearably wretched, and her throbbing wrist didn't help.

_What is this, regret?_

She remembered why she was mad in the first place.

_Okuni._

The very name just gave her a bad taste in her mouth.

_Why?_ thought Yuya, purposely stepping on all the cracks in the sidewalk. _Why is this bothering me?_ She remembered the look on Kyo's face and how he'd just treated her--with total disdain.

"Argh!" She shook her head violently.

_Who cares what he--_

Yuya's thought was instantly cut off when she felt an arm snake around her waste and a hand cover her mouth. She struggled to break free from the stranger's grasp and made to scream, but more people came from behind and managed to put duck tape over her mouth. That left her arms and legs...and head. She tried in vain to kick and hit her way free when a cloth completely covered her head and everything went dark. She resorted to every defense move she'd ever learned, but it was a fruitless effort. By the time the sack covered her head, there were too many people. In the frenzy, her ankles were tied together as well as her wrists. She felt herself get roughly swung over the shoulder of some brawny man, and then soon after, thrown into a car.

Her heart hammered with fear. Her panic was like a cold fluid that ran in her blood stream from her toes all the way up to her head. The possibilties for her demise seemed endless: rape, torture, death, trafficking...

_No! No, you can't give up. Calm down. Calm down. Think Yuya, think._ Her mind raced. She was overflowing with a adrenaline, a feeling she wasn't all too unfamiliar with.

_Well, you can't get out of the car now_. She turned her attention to their voices.

"Do you think he'll come?" said a boy.

"I don't know, I think so..." said another boy.

Yuya felt only slightly relieved. By their voices, they seemed around her age and one even sounded a little familiar. That meant she was likely not going to be trafficked...

"Shut up you idiots! He'll come! Turn left up here and then park on the side!" said a rough voice.

_Authority, he must be the boss,_ Yuya noted.

When the car stopped. Yuya was carried up a few steps and then thrown to the floor. The sack over her head was ripped off and she was met by at least 6 boys towering over her. Their uniforms were from her school.

She glared at them with everything she had.

"She must be a tough bitch." one of them piped up, "she didn't even pee her panties."

_What?_

Then her attention was caught by a shiny sharp knife one of the boys flashed in front of her face. He looked wild.

"We're gonna give widdle Kyo a call and tell him what's up." The wild boy said, and then nastily traced his tongue along the knife

_Kyo?_

Then another boy with a mohawk ran his finger along her thigh and she flinched. "You see little girl, Kyo thought he was just _too_ good for us."

"That's right." answered another boy with blue hair. "but were gonna show him how much he's missed out."

"Mhm." answered mohawk, "When Kyo finds out his _girlfriend_ has been kidnapped, he'll come right over, and then we'll get to _play_ with him!"

When those last words finally sunk in, Yuya could only think one thing:

_Shit. _

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

"Everyone shut the hell up, I'm calling him."

Her eyes flew to the person on the phone. He was undoubtedly the leader. The boy had sickly crayola orange hair and thick eyebrows.

"Hello _Kyo_... ... ...hello? What the fuck? Hello?" The leader impatiently slammed his phone shut.

"That bastard hung up!"

"Send him a text message." one suggested.

"...shit, fine."

Yuya was beginning to wonder if she should even feel nervous around these amateurs, when the knife that was hovering before her was now pressed against her throat. She gulped. She must have been a very bad person in her past life. That was the only conclusion she could come up with at this point.

"I...have...your...girlfriend." texted the leader.

They all waited. Yuya felt her pulse against the metal. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and cry her eyes out.

"Bzzz."

"He messaged us back!" exclaimed one.

The leader read the message and scrunched his dense brows. "He says he doesn't have a girlfriend."

_No shit sherlock._

"What the hell?" said mohawk.

He began another message, "Don't play...dumb...we have...your girl...green eyes...blond hair."

After he sent it, the leader glared at Yuya. "Damn. Is this bitch even important?"

_That's a good question._

"Bzzz bzzz bzzz."

"The phone's ringing! It's ringing!" they all said.

The leader hastily answered the phone, and regained composure. "Oh hello Kyo. That wasn't very nice of you to hang up you know." The leader glanced at his men, "we're very disappointed. At least we have a nice girl to play with. If you want to watch, you can come meet us at the warehouse. You see, if you don't come, I'm not sure what we might do to her, she's been so _naughty_. Oh? You wanna talk to her? Awww." The leader nodded towards mohawk and he ripped the tape off of her. Yuya's mouth felt like it'd just been stung by a hundred bees. The leader held the phone up to her.

"Speak." blue hair hissed. The knife pressed deeper into her neck.

"K-kyo?" she asked hoping to hear his voice.

Her heart dropped.

"He hung up." she whispered, utterly numb.

"What the fuck, is the bastard even coming?" asked mohawk

"Maybe he won't come. I heard he doesn't give a damn about anyone." said a boy with a spike collar.

"But don't you remember how he was around this stupid bitch?" asked blue hair.

"Well, can we mess with her?" asked wild boy.

"Not yet, wait." said the leader.

Minutes passed by. The knife wasn't against her neck anymore and Yuya's fear was slowly dissipating. It was replaced by irritation.

"You're all idiots."

"What?" said many at once.

"He's not coming. Your plan is ruined. What do you even want with Kyo anyway?"

"He didn't want to join us!" said blue hair.

"And?" Yuya asked.

"There is no fucking "and"! This bitch is pissing me off!"

Mohawk kicked Yuya onto the ground. His hand slid up her skirt. She tried to wiggle away and bite him.

"Ha ha! I didn't know you liked biting! You might have told me sooner!" His hand slid farther up her skirt...

"Oof!"

Mohawk was kicked so hard in the head, he passed out cold. A foot pressed onto his neck.

Everything went still.

"...I'm afraid, you boys caught me on a bad day." said the figure standing over the unconscious body. "You see, I haven't had a cigarette in ages...I'm _really_ cranky."

After just hearing his voice, for some reason, tears came rolling down Yuya's face.

She had never felt so relieved, yet she'd never seen him this angry. She made a note to never get him this mad. He was on the mere brink of going berserk.

Then their eyes met and Yuya saw an expression she'd never seen before. She could have sworn his eyes were telling her something, but she couldn't exactly guess what it was. He bent down and made to untie her knots...

"Oh no you don't!" said blue hair, "not without a fight."

Kyo stood back up.

and that's when it all began.

There were definitely more than 6 people. More must have materialized out of nowhere, but Kyo had no trouble. Yuya was in awe. She had no idea he could fight like this. She wondered if he really did fight 30 people and win. He moved like liquid and his blows carried force. The expression on his face was serious and concentrated, as if he was seeing things before they happened._ Always one step ahead, _Yuya remembered. There was something more in his eyes that even made Yuya wonder if Kyo was enjoying it. But he was still bleeding in places. Blood trickled down from his forehead and ran along his cheek. He had taken many hits himself, and every time he did, her heart constricted.

She saw it before Kyo could. The leader was posed behind Kyo's back with a baseball bat while Kyo was trying to fend off three guys at once.

A cheap-shot.

_Dirty bastard!_

Yuya had no idea why she hadn't thought of this before. After all, that knife wasn't even close to her anymore. She may not have been able to move, but she still had one special ability.

At the top of her lungs she yelled "POLICE! IT'S THE POLICE! THEY'RE COMING!!"

Everyone dropped everything and fled like spiders.

Everyone except Kyo.

He stared at her in disbelief. Yuya attempted a small awkward smile. She honestly didn't think it'd work so well.

Then he stomped over and roughly began untying her.

"You fucking idiot! I said I would walk you home!" He finished her ankles and then began on her wrists behind her back. "Did those bastards touch you! I swear I'm gonna kill them all--"

As soon as he finished untying her, Yuya swung around and hugged him tightly. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, and when he hugged her back and whispered "I'm sorry Yuya." she only squeezed him tighter. Perhaps a few tears soaked his shirt.

It was a while till she let him go.

the girl didn't want him to go anywhere else.

To be continued...


	9. Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

**Thank-you for telling me about the chapter problem! I was literally like: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" **

**Anway, thanks! It is fixed now!**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

"No dogface, have your ears gone bad? I told you to _divide_ by X not _multiply_. You need to freaking pay attention!"

"You _said_ multiply!"

"No, I didn't."

"Well...it's hard to focus when your cat is seriously gonna maul me!" said Yuya, fully aware of Indara, who had been showing off her full set of teeth for the last hour.

"She's not gonna to bite you! Fine, I'm just gonna write this shit down."

Yuya covered her face with her hands, feeling a mixture of frustration and indignation. _Just what, again, possessed me to ask him for help?_ She peered at Kyo through her fingers and couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of him, comfortable in his own room. _If only people at school could see him now s_he thought. She glanced at his plain white T-shirt and dark flannel pajama pants. _Ha, so vulnerable looking!_ She stole a peak at his face while he was writing things down. She always found his concentrated expression intriguing, his eyes so focused. The cut on his forehead was now a scab. The bruise under his left eye had faded. Yuya blushed. She was finally willing to admit Kyo was, infact, considerably handsome, and she found this knowledge extremely disconcerting. She'd rather die than _ever_ let him know...

"Dog-face, quit spacing out!"

Yuya snapped right back. "Okay, okay! Sorry!"

"Anyway, what you need to do for this type of problem is--"

"Bzzz bzz bzz!"

"Hold on." She flipped open her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh! H-hey Shinrei!"

"Ah I see, well, I don't know if I can be of much help because--" Before she could finish her sentence, Kyo had snatched the phone from her hand.

"She can't talk, we're busy right now." Kyo said. He hung up the phone.

"Hey! What'd you do that for? He needed help with our homework!" said Yuya, fretting over how she was going to explain this to Shinrei later.

Kyo scoffed. "You actually believe that _phony_?"

"What do you mean "phony"?"

"Everything about that guy his fake, from his greasy grey hair, to his plastic smile--as if he actually doesn't understand this homework. Please, this shit's easy. I bet even my cat could understand it."

Yuya flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Well..._sorry_ I don't understand this homework!...Give me back my phone!"

"Hold on." said Kyo, who was pressing buttons on it. Yuya flared.

"You're deleting his number aren't you! Give it back!" Yuya reached across and tried to snatch it back from him, but Kyo kept dodging her hand. She was like a cat trying to get the dangling mouse toy.

"Shut up! Just hold on..." said Kyo, who was now holding down her head with with his hand.

"No!" Yuya yelled, enraged he could push her down with only his hand. She tore herself up from the ground and threw himself at him...

They both toppled to the ground, and Yuya realized she was laying right on top of him--a rather peculiar position.

They stared at each other in shock. Yuya flushed the shade of a strawberry, her heart was beating fast, Or was it _his_ heart? She wasn't certain...

Kyo broke it off first.

"Wow dogface I didn't know you were so bold..."

"Sh-shut up!" Yuya flew off of him, but the sudden movement wasn't the brightest move.

"Mraow!" Already on the edge, Indara sprung at Yuya and used her claws to scratch at her arm.

"Ouch!" Yuya held her arm and recoiled from the viscous feline. "I told you your cat hates me! Seriously, what have I _ever_ done to her!" She said, feeling utterly affronted.

Kyo just glared at his cat with a look that said "bad kitty, you're not getting any treats for a week." Indara caught what this meant and simply sauntered off with one last look at her master. If it were possible for a cat to shrug, she would have.

Kyo took hold of Yuya's arm. "Let me see that."

When Kyo's fingers examined her tender arm, heat rushed to her face. The contrast of his gentle touch and her stinging wound made her heart pound. It was such an unsettling feeling, like she was suffocating or she was going to burst like a balloon. She yanked her arm away, and held her head down to make sure her hair covered most of her face. She didn't want him to see her so flustered.

"W-whatever! It's just a scratch. I'll look at it myself at home!" Yuya went to gather up her things. "and I'm gonna figure out this _easy_ homework too!"

"Che, fine. Don't come crying to me when you get an F."

Yuya didn't answer. She carefully avoided his gaze while she picked up the last of her things and headed out his window.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Laying on her bed, Yuya held up her arm in front of her eyes. The scratches glistened from the ointment she'd applied.

_What's wrong with me?_ She marveled. Yuya had felt slightly tipsy ever since she got home. She'd walked straight into Nozomu twice, and hardly understood a word her mother was saying. She kept on remembering how his fingers felt on her arm.

She kept on thinking about _him--_his expressions, his slightly damp hair...his jaw line , his soft white T-shirt that somehow accentuated his arms and his abdomen...

"Bzzz bzz bzz."

Yuya checked her phone to see who it was, grateful for the distraction.

_"Granny"? Who the heck is "Granny"?_

"Hello?"

"Hi Yuya."

_Kyo you ass! You changed his name to "Granny"?_

"Hi Shinrei! I meant to call you back, sorry."

"It's okay. Are you still with Kyo?"

"No! We're just neighbors. I-I mean, no, he was just helping me with the homework..."

"Oh, I see. He was helping? Ha ha that's a bit surprising..."

"Ha ha yeah..." Yuya replied sheepishly, feeling a little strange.

"Anyway Yuya, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out tomorrow?"

"Oh! Ah...sure!"

"Okay, cool. Just meet me after school."

"Okay...yeah!"

"See you."

"Bye!"

Her heart beat wildly. She felt incredibly nervous and overwhelmed by the whole prospect. Of course she did. She always felt kind of self conscious around Shinrei.

"Aargh!" Yuya groaned in her pillow. She was suffering from all different kinds of confusing, contrasting, and stressful emotions. Then she remembered her phone. She inspected it to see if Kyo had done any more damage. That's when she spotted the name "BOSS" under her contacts that'd never been there before.

_Stupid crow-head! That is NOT gonna do._

She replaced it with the letters "K-y-o".

and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

The classroom felt so much smaller than usual.

_Calm down Yuya. It's not a big deal. It's just Shinrei. You're just "hanging out" today. _

Though she was telling herself this over and over, Her nerves would not relax. She even paid extra attention to what she wore.

Lunch felt extremely award. For some reason, she was aware of _two_ presences. One near her left, and one all the way towards the back.

Finally the time had come. Everyone hustled out of the classroom, but Yuya lingered. So did Shinrei...and Kyo.

"Dog-face, what are you doing? Lets get out of here."

"I...uh..." Yuya stammered. She found she just couldn't say it.

"She's hanging out with me today." finished Shinrei.

Kyo eyes enflamed. For a second, Yuya swore Kyo's showed as much anger as the time when she was kidnapped.

Shinrei held his gaze without faltering. Yuya was, admittedly, rather impressed.

"Ha, oh, I see." Kyo said smiling. Though his smile seemed more like he was gritting his teeth. When Kyo began walking out, he shoved his shoulder against hers, making her step back. She gulped. She knew he'd done it on purpose.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya smiled and Laughed at everything Shinrei said, but she knew these expressions of hers were fake. Her cheery grandeur was just a cover for the turmoil of emotions she felt inside. Not only did she feel nervous around Shinrei, but also had a huge sense of uneasiness, something was egging at her and she couldn't shake it off.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little..." Yuya replied. She wasn't hungry at all. In fact, she felt a little sick.

"Do you want to stop here?"

"Sure..."

The rest of the day, Yuya couldn't help but realize how awkward she felt around him, how much she couldn't act like herself. It was the similar feeling of being around people her mother's age.

Finally, Shinrei pulled up to her house. Sitting in his car, aware that she would soon be home, Yuya oddly felt a little better.

"I'll walk you to the door."

"Okay."

When they reached her doorway, Shinrei suddenly took her hands.

"Yuya, I-I...like you."

_What?_ her eyes widened. She wasn't expecting this...

"I've liked you for a long time now. You are a...clever and kind and beautiful person....and I...like you."

An intense silence descended upon them. Yuya let his words sink in. She considered them greatly. In the end, she knew what she had to say. She knew why she felt so nervous around him.

"I'm sorry." she said at last. "I like you too. I think you're a great person. You _are_ a great person. You're extremely kind and polite...and you're g-good looking too, and I'm so flattered. I truly am. but I think...I think it's best if we just stay friends. I just don't feel we are good for each other in that way...I'm sorry." It was painful to say this, but she had to get it out. She caught the pained look in his eye and her heart pinched.

Finally, he smiled, a sad smile that reminded her of Kyo's father.

"I understand." and he really did seem like he understood. "Then...can I ask for one last request?"

"Of course." Yuya said, happy she could do at least this.

"Will this princess give me a kiss on the cheek?"

Yuya giggled. Shinrei really was a nice guy. "Yes." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek...

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yuya." said Shinrei.

"Yeah, see you."

And with that, he left.

Yuya took a deep breath. It had been a long day. She turned to the left, and clicked her door open.

and because she turned to the left, she didn't see the boy far off on her right.

The boy who had seen all her actions, but didn't hear her words.

Too be continued.


	10. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

**Hey everyone! Thank-you all for your reviews! *hands animelover a cookie* haha!**

**Once again, this one's out a bit later than usual... I felt a bit "edgy" about this chapter, and I have to pack for school! Ahhhh school, why??**

**...Here it goes**!

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya pushed her hair back into a low ponytail to defend against the windy day. The wind wasn't chilly, only a slight degree less warmer than the overall temperature. It possessed a particular eeriness that Yuya kind of liked. Yesterday had been so stressful and confusing, but she felt relieved. Well, slightly relieved--she wasn't sure how awkward today would enfold with Shinrei...

She decided optimism was the best attitude of choice and started off towards school with a bit of a hop in her step. A little ways ahead, she spotted Kyo. Whether she was answering to the skip of her heart when she saw him, or simply found it necessary, she picked up her pace to catch up to him.

"Hey!" said Yuya, once she was at his side.

Kyo said nothing.

"H-hey!" she attempting again, beginning to feel alarmed. He must have not heard her...

Again, he offered no sign of acknowledgment.

Yuya's heart beat with fear.

_Why is he ignoring me?_ she panicked. Desparate and impatient, she ran in front of him to block his path.

"Hey!" she yelled. Kyo halted and met her eyes. The peculiar wind blew between them. She tried to read his face. For someone with such red eyes, they appeared exceptionally cold. She pondered over all the possible reasons they could look this way.

_Did something happen at home?_

_Did I do something wrong?_

_Was it because I hung out with Shinrei?_

_Why does Shinrei bother him?_

_Why?_

"Are you ignoring me? What's wro--"

"God will you just shut up?" Kyo rubbed is ear, his mouth curled to signify his irritation. "Your voice is like this fucking endless annoyance."

"W-what?" Yuya said in a small voice. Kyo might have noticed the confused look in her eye. He suddenly grasped her shoulders. He leaned towards her. His face grew closer and she realized what he was going to do, so much fear welled up inside her that she pushed him away. When she finally dared to open her eyes, he was walking away again.

"Hey!"

Kyo turned towards her briskly. "Seriously, shut the hell up, don't come near me. I don't want to see your face."

The words slowly settled in like poison. She watched his back grow smaller and smaller until he was out of sight. Yuya felt like she was stinging. She felt nauseous. The whole day, she went through all the motions--laughed when someone joked, took notes when the teacher told her to, ate during lunch, but she wasn't aware of them. She might have felt reassurance that Shinrei could still speak to her like normal and they were still friends, but her mind was elsewhere. Shinrei asked if something was wrong.

She said "nothing".

Something was wrong. A knife was in her chest, and it pierced deeper when she saw that Kyo appeared fine. He laughed with Kyoshiro. He used someone else's chair as a footstool. He acted how he always did-- like he didn't just tell her he never wanted to see her again.

A few days went by and Yuya still felt ill. She kept hoping Kyo would get over whatever "it" was and talk to her again. However, he didn't. She realized the nausea wasn't going to subside until she faced it.

She knocked at his window.

It almost surprised her how short it took for him to answer, but once the window was opened, she was met by a pair of blood curdling eyes. He pushed her back.

"I told you, I don't want to see you again. You give me a headache. Fuck off!"

"Hey! B-but..."

The window slammed shut.

Yuya stared at the grass. The green blades turned blurry as she felt the tingly liquid slide down her cheeks. The tears kept coming as she made her way back home.

They ran along her face with the well water from her shower.

They dribbled down her neck and stained her pillow.

She had discovered a most terrifying truth.

She liked Kyo.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

She couldn't admit it. She had to protect herself. She had to change her own mind. Over and over, she reminded herself that Kyo had never been that remarkably nice or friendly. Yuya reinerated all of his faults and evil doings. He called her a dog-face. He called her ugly. He insulted her time and time again.

_I'm NOT going to like him. _

_I refuse._

_You do not like that demon Yuya! _

But she wouldn't stop wondering what she did to upset him.

_Why. Why. Why. Why. Why._ She wondered incessantly till it gave her a permanent headache.

Okuni would speak to him often, and every time, Yuya was stabbed.

It wasn't till she spotted Okuni clutching Kyo's arm that the knife in her chest finally penetrated all the way through.

Underneath layers of blankets, she hugged herself, afraid her bones might fall apart.

Her brother found her there.

"Yuya?"

"What?" she asked fiercely, while nearly suffocating underneath 5 layers.

As he stepped closer, Yuya surrendered a sigh. She slowly revealed herself form the covers and sat up. Her mussy hair and dark, irritated eyes only furthered Nozumo's conviction that something was wrong. The truth was, she wasn't all too unhappy to talk to him. The only people she'd conversed with as of late was that girl Midori and Shinrei, and talking to both of them was considerably unfulfilling. They could not ease her torment.

"You've been acting wierd lately."

"What? No I haven't, I'm fine." Yuya lied. She looked and sounded so lifeless.

"Yuya, I think I know my own sister. Seriously, I think this is the worst I've ever seen you. I'm worried. Have you eaten at all today? Do you have a fever?" Nozomu felt her forehead.

_...Have I eaten? _She marveled.

"Is it Kyo again?"

Hearing his name, she flinched.

Nozomu sighed. "Yuya, you know how Kyo is--"

"Kyo this, Kyo that. Why! Why is it always Kyo?" With wild eyes, she ruffled her hair, mussing it up even more. "He...that boy, he doesn't want to see me ever again!"

This sparked Nozomu's attention. "What? What do you mean?"

"He told me!" said Yuya, already feeling annoyed by Nozomu's surprise.

"No he didn--"

"Yes! He did!" she yelled. "But whatever! It's not like I care. I don't care! Now I can finally live in fucking peace!"

Nozomu eyed her. Yuya didn't look at him.

"But I mean, why should I be surprised? Hell, he has always treated me like shit. he calls me a dog! He thinks I'm ugly and stupid! Screw him!" Tears started coming again before she hold them back.

"He hates me!" she choked. She held her arms. "He doesn't want to see me ever again!"

Nozomu saw her falling into a bottomless pit of despair. He grasped her shoulders to bring her back.

"Yuya! Has he_ told_ you hated you?"

"He implied it! I am _sure_ he hates me!"

Nozomu sighed. "Yuya," he said softly, "do you want to know what I think?"

"...what?"

Nozomu lowered his head to be at eye level.

"I think that boy's loved you ever since you were five"

It was like those words were like a heavy boulder dropped upon Yuya's head. Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"It's true, I really think so."

"Why?" she breathed. This was something she could never possibly dream of.

"Well, I could explain this in many ways, but I think I'll go for the more "Philosophical" approach. First off, if you really didn't like someone, would you care to hang around them? Go to their house? Talk to them?

"No..."

"Right. I think you've been seeing things differently than myself. You see, you've probably been viewing all the "mean" things he's done as a sign that "he doesn't like you", but to me, I see it that Kyo is obsessed with your existence. Think of all the times he was there. Hell, the boy practically owns most of your memories. He has _always_ given you attention. He followed you in the woods. He teases you because he _cares_. He went to your room. You don't need to hide it, I know he's been in your room. You guys are so obvious..."

Yuya thought of this and her jaw dropped. Her brother was somehow making _sense_.

"But...he likes another girl now!"

Nozomu remained silent. He looked at her thoughtfully, almost saying "are you kidding me?"

That's when she felt that tiny creature crawl inside her whom she dared called hope. Before, she was dwelling in total darkness, but now, she could just faintly see a crack of light. Suddenly, she was restless.

Her heart beat loudly, like the resounding thud of a tennis ball hitting clay court.

"Nozomu, you're my favorite brother." she said.

"I'm you're only..." but before he could finish, she was gone.

Nozomu smiled.

Yuya was out the door.

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~

_He's loved you._

The words echoed inside her, resounding like an organ in a cathedral.

She had that feeling, that horrible feeling of despair. It made her chest feel so tight. It made her suffocate.

She had to see him right now, or her world might collapse.

She just wanted to see him.

She took off towards his house. She knew this path.

She remembered the first time she walked to his house in her pretty pink dress.

She remembered his haughty red-eyes.

She remembered when he first called her a "dog-face"

She glimpsed the pond.

She remembered fishing out her sandal.

Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.

She remembered when they played cards.

She reached his window.

She remembered all the times she ever climbed through it. When she knocked on it until her knuckles bruised, so he'd open.

She had to get it open now.

She pounded on it.

No good.

No patience.

_Maybe it's unlocked._

With her fingers, she desperately pushed up the glass. She felt it lift. For once, the gods were on her side. With one big thrust, she managed to hitch it open just enough to throw herself through.

She tumbled to the ground. She hurt both her knees. She barely noticed.

"Yuya?"

Slowly, she lifted her head to discover Kyo standing across his room. He looked surprised. His hair was slightly damp. He was holding a towel.

For a second, Yuya forgot everything.

"Yu.." He began again.

She remembered.

"I like you!" she choked

She remembered when he came to her room and slept in her bed.

"I like you!"

More tears fell.

She remembered when he captured her flag

"I like you." she said miserably.

She remembered when she let him leave.

"I like you!"

She remembered the sting of her arm.

"And I even like your cat!" she sniffled.

"And I don't like Shinrei! I don't! I told him so!"

"You don't like Okuni do you?" she asked pitifully.

She was drowning in anguish.

She remembered when she was kidnapped and he came to save her.

"I...I really like you!" she said, as if she were to die in a minute.

"I've always liked you and never knew it!"

"I lo--"

She didn't know when in the haze of her tears, Kyo had made it across the room, but now his hands were holding her face, a gesture she didn't even allow herself to imagine. His cyrstal clear, blood-red eyes glittered like finely cut rubies. The feel of his hands slowed her breathing. He pulled her towards him and held her close.

She was trembling so badly, but Kyo was warm. The patter of his heart, the gentle sent of soap, and the feel of his strong arms around her small frame, was so consoling that the torture she was feeling so powerfully before diminished. She didn't make one move, for fear he might let go.

He did let go.

Then she felt something soft against her mouth.

His lips.

Before she knew how it happened, she was clinging to him. Pent up emotions she wasn't aware she had now flowed from her freely. Kyo kissed her fiercely, roughly almost. The boy was feverish. He bit her lip. He stroked her back. She felt his tongue lick inside her mouth, making her nerves go ablaze.

She ran her fingers through his damp hair. She held his neck. She felt his breath. His slender, yet strong body cradled hers, keeping _her_ bones from falling apart. This boy was dominating, but she didn't care.

This boy had loved her ever since she was 5.

When they finally separated, Kyo stood. He held out his hand and helped her off the ground. Yuya averted her gaze. She was blushing so badly, but she didn't let go of his hand.

"You should probably go."

She was dissapointed to hear this, but walked towards the window. She hesitated. She really didn't want to go, like she was a magnet being forced to go where she wasn't drawn.

Kyo caught this.

He took hold of her chin, and to her horror, she saw that grin.

"What's wrong? Did you want more?... ... ...Dooooooog-face!"

She was _so_ ready to retort, but then she felt his warm mouth press against her cheek, and her anger dissipated.

"You really need to go" he whispered. He tugged the end of her shirt, "Or I might take this off."

First she froze. Then she unfroze.

"You, you PERVERT! You--! I-I'm leaving!"

But when she saw him laugh, it was like warm, sweet honey was flowing in her blood.

More flustered than she'd ever been before, Yuya somehow found her way to her room, and luckily evaded her know-it-all brother.

The happy, yet nervous, yet curious golden-haired girl couldn't sleep that night if she tried.

The phrase "16 and never been kissed" would never apply to Yuya Shiina.


	11. Three Blind Mice

**Hi everyone! I know. I KNOW. I'm so sorry, It's never taken this long for me to update. Back in the RLs (real lifes) I was diagnosed with GAD, general anxiety disorder. It got so bad that sometimes it was hard to breath! Yikes! But it's better now, I've taken more control of myself (it seems I'm my own worst enemy lol). I've also had major symptoms of WRITER'S BLOCK. However, I would like to thank you guys. Your input has inspired this chapter. It's sad to say that yes, this story is heading to a close, I have plans for just a few chapters more. HOWEVER, I also have plans for a few cute side stories, one starring none other than...INDARA! KYO'S CAT!**

**Anyway, my apologies, enjoy!**

~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O'~'O~'O'~'~'O'~'O'~

Yuya Shiina did not want to move an inch from where she lay for fear the sheer layer of safety she felt would disintegrate. She'd awoken around 5:00 AM, approximately 2 hours before her alarm would go off in the future.

_The future. _

Yuya Shiina was terrified of the future.

When her cream colored eyelids had first opened, the events of yesterday were a blur in the far distance, then they slowly drifted closer and closer until SMACK! They trounced her like a herd of cattle.

_Why? Why did I do that? Dear Lord Why?_

She could have cried; not from sadness, but from sheer embarrassment and fear. The truth was she was so afraid. Sure, he kissed her, and she was almost sure he harbored true affection, but what now?

_What happens now? _

Yuya had been so vulnerable. This made her scared. She cringed when she realized what could very well be the core of her mortification.

_She_ confessed _first_.

She lost. He had all the power.

_No, He can't! He can't!_

The future.

It dawned on her. If she was going to try and be with him in the future that meant _a lot _more losing. She'd have to show her weak spots continuously--like a dog bearing its belly. Would he always be laughing at her? The mere thought made her feel sick. The last thing she wanted to ever be to him was a joke or a loser, and for some reason, right now, that was precisely what she felt like. What if he never showed his weak side? Did he _have_ a weak side? Well, sure, she knew he did, but she wasn't sure how much she'd see it…Oh the agony! Her head hurt and her muscles felt stiff, and her heart beat faster every time she saw the minute switch on her menacing alarm clock.

She didn't want to go to school. She didn't want to see _him_—the source of the roiling pit of nausea that was now her stomach, the throbbing pain in her brain…

She went to school, or rather, her feet dragged her there. That was one thing about Yuya, even though her whole being feared and fought it, that special part of her made her go anyway, the part of her that positively loathed it whenever fear won.

Many times she sensed Kyo near her. She could almost see his eyes trying to catch her attention though she wasn't looking. It could have been strange that when Kyo was hovering by, Yuya suddenly needed to discuss urgent matters with the person sitting next to her, or Midori, or even the girl she'd never even spoken to in her whole life with the unibrow. This strategy was something Yuya had good reign on. What Yuya couldn't control, however, was her damned face that had a tendency to burn scarlet whenever ink black hair floated into her peripheral vision. As the day went on, her face burned more continuously, and her now scratchy throat let out coughs...

_Great, now I really am sick._ Pierced by anxiety inducing emotions, and feeling just plain wretched, Yuya pondered if she'd live to be 17 at all....

She was safe. She had made it all through school. Now she could go home, get some rest, continue to worry, and—

_Oh shit. _She should have known it couldn't have been that easy_. _

"Hey."

Yuya reluctantly pivoted around. More blood hovered towards her cheeks.

"Hey…"

His eyes tried to find hers but she stealthily evaded them from interrogation.

"Oh, are you being shy today?"

Yuya snarled despite herself. She had no idea what she was supposed to do in this situation, or any other future situations with Kyo for that matter. Then she remembered she felt sick. She also remembered she lost. She always loses, and she always "amused" him. Unwarranted Anger began to simmer, before it could be controlled.

"I can be whatever I want any day."

After Yuya's testy remark, a pause ensued.

"Yeah, you usually are too. You're like freaking Tyler Durden. I'm probably the only person alive that can put up with your mood swings. You look kind of sick…"

This somehow ticked a nerve. Before Kyo could feel her forehead, she slapped the hand away.

"Then don't put up with it! No one's asking you to!"

"What the hel—"

Yuya shoved past him and rushed on home. Her head was pounding like a jackhammer. In a haze, she called for her mom, then she realized her mother was with her brother visiting colleges, and her damned dad was, once again, not there.

"Whatever, I can take care of myself." She didn't need to take her temperature; she already knew she had a fever. Yuya clumsily took two aspirins and slipped into bed. Her mind began to take her on a journey. Before she knew it, she was mumbling the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" song. In fact, She could have sworn there was a real, hot-pink spider dangling from her finger…or was it red?

"Yuya?"

"Oh," murmured Yuya, squinting her eyes, "that wasn't a spider, that was your eyeball…"

She felt something warm press against her flaming cheek.

"Holy shit." said a distant voice.

She heard a clatter and then the sound of running water.

Something pleasingly wet and cold was placed against her head. Time passed and Yuya's eyes started to focus on her surroundings—she became more conscious of the boy's presence.

…Too conscious.

"Damn it, why!" moaned Yuya, turning into her pillow, the wet cloth sliding off.

"…Oh, why, thank-you Kyo, for being here when I'm sick." replied the boy himself.

"Sure. More like, thank-you, Kyo, for always being there to see me at my worst!"

Kyo's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Just…just take a picture of me right now!"

"What?"

"You know, so you can look at it whenever to boost your confidence…"

"What the hell? What are you talking about? I'm a bit confused, just yesterday…"

_Oh no, not yesterday again_! Yuya buried her head more in her pillows, trying to pretend he wasn't there. She could have sworn she heard a laugh.

"Oh, I see, you do have a crazy amount of pride don't you? You must have surprised even yourself yesterday." said Kyo. He then leaned towards her ear, "You're embarrassed" he whispered. She could almost hear his smile.

"No I'm not!" Yuya lashed out, smacking him in the face. She was attempting to strangle his neck when she suddenly gave up and retreated back to her pillows. Much to her bewilderment, Kyo managed to slip in next to her. Lying next to the sick girl, he felt her forehead. Yuya flushed but remained silent, averting her gaze.

Kyo spoke finally, "Once, when I was little, I tried to stick a dinosaur toy in a VCR."

This confession initially shocked Yuya, but once she registered his words she had to stifle a laugh. The whole idea of Kyo trying to stick a dinosaur was almost too much. She'd never seen Kyo show this side to her before. It made her heart thump with glee. She remained alert, eager for more.

"One time I was watching the Discovery channel on T.V. and there was this show on about like meteors hitting the earth. Anyway, I thought a meteor was coming so I made a huge mess and rearranged all the furniture in my room to create some kind of barrier or something..."

This time Yuya laughed out loud, she couldn't possibly help it.

"…My dad was so pissed." Kyo was now laughing too. He went on to tell her a few other stories…

"Tell me more!" wheezed Yuya, her abs now sore, "Tell me more of your silly failings!"

"…Well there is one thing." Kyo replied, looking away.

"What?" said Yuya, feeling the atmosphere turn stolid. She waited intently...

"I made the girl I like hate me for 16 years."

The amused joy she had melted into something more sweet and tender. His honest words and the vulnerability was too much. She didn't think before she placed her arms around his chest and curled against his back. At that moment, she felt like one very fortunate girl. A very happy, fortunate girl. They layed there until Kyo finally stirred. He got off her bed.

"Well, you need to sleep. When you wake up take two more aspirin and drink more water."

Yuya was so annoyed he left her side, she felt like pouting.

"Why should I do what you say?" she asked snippily.

"Because you're my girlfriend." he replied.

Yuya collapsed on her bed.

The boy was too cunning.


End file.
